Another Character Design Class.....WattsAtelier
polycounter lvl 18
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~polycount/ubb/Forum2/HTML/009287.html?00045
Basically, this will be a continuation of the same above thread.
This time, I can make up whatever I want, but only 2 characters, however make it highly rendered. The above is a beginning sketch which will probably redesigned further.
The above image is also an example of how I process my character designs.
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Cool
http://www.wattsatelier.com/home.html
About 99 percent of the students concentrate on contour line art and tonal drawing.
My tonal drawing seems to be lacking, but I seem to be able to put down ideas more quickly using that sketch method.
But if you read "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way", then you pretty much know how I approach drawing character designs.
Trying to redesign. Will post more.
Needs something to make the design more uniform and simple.
I'm also trying to make the figure seem less bulky.
Not final, just a progression.
Trying to figure how value and contrast.
Y'know, germs viruses bio hazard shit....hence the breathing apparatus.
Basically, the character is a post apocolyptic scientist whose body had degraded and is depending on junked cyber parts to stay alive and maintain his/her/its nervous system.
Basically, it's a remake of this:
But then the teacher went into a rant to the whole class about originality in concept art and how you have to compete with people more imaginative.....blah blah blah...
So I decided I better do some more comps, starting with this:
I've been dragging my feet because the class only requires 2 character concepts....and everybody else in the class seems to be draging their feet.
At Gnomon I was doing 3 different concepts for each character and do 2 to 3 characters a week....so, I was kinda expecting to do more.
I'll keep sketching ideas and post.
Thought it would be easier to bump this thread so I can find it later on.
I'm playing around with the shape of the cyborg character. The Q4 Gladitor type figure is what I'm tinkering with.
I think I'll replace that Claw with a Chainsaw
A marker comp.....Teacher want colors...oh boy.
first off, the lizard-riding concepts: i like the original color one the best, but i think that's because it's the most 'together' and conceptually coherent. the one above it with the muppet looking koala bear creatures i don't quite get. and the third image just looks like you're getting frustrated and throwing in zaniness for the sake of crazy-out-there elements. i think someone needs to tell your teach that imagination is not the same thing as eclectic exoticism. just throwing a bunch of cuh-raaaaazy different things together into one concept doesn't really make it a new and 'original' concept, it just makes it a mashup of different elements. that's the read i'm getting on your third rider drawing.
but it's important to clarify: what exactly are the criteria for these assignments? cause some of your approaches are pretty scattershot. are you given a description to go off of, or...? "character riding an animal" ? cause all 3 drawings for the animal riding post suggest very different ways in which you could approach that idea, but they don't suggest that kind of development.
if you take the third drawing and say, 'the concept is some sort of aquatic-type creature riding a mammalian beast' then you can rapidly conceptualize sveral different directions--perhaps there's some sort of symbiotic relationship between the creatures, so the squid looking guy gets a free ride so long as he continues to excrete a certain enzyme? maybe it's a primitive form of mind control, those suckers not wrapped around his neck but around the beast's head to control him directly.
a good concept will tell a story--maybe not a long one, but it will show some indications in terms of the character's place in culture/time/etc... it's that kind of development that will set the drawings apart from others and will make them interesting and 'imaginative'.
similarly, for mr. mad scientist robot guy, i'm not a fan of where you're taking him. not that the q4 gladiator style joints aren't cool, but are they appropriate to his character? the original drawings suggest a home-built body, which is in line with the whole mad scientist vibe he had going. the new q4 style plating and limbs you've drawn have a much more overt military, manufactured appearance. what was a home-built body now seems like a manufacturered body off some military kill bot production line... especially with the token chainsaw. and if you're going to make a chainsaw arm attachment, at least make the blade an interesting shape. anyway, my point is, not that you can't go with the new body style, but it's saying something vastly different than the old drawings were, that i think clashes with the elements you haven't changed (the head and chest area). if he's going to be military killbot style, push that direction. but if he's really going to read as a mad scientist with a robotic body, you'd probably be best continuing along the original tangeants you were investigating.
all in all it's good stuff... now i'm just really curious what this guy is trying to teach you
I'm still work'n on it....get'n errr something.
I gotta work on my 2nd Character, but this pretty much sums it up for the 1st Character I have to finish.
I think I should lighten up the head.
This is a mock up of the second character...if I decide to finish it. Most of the students in class seem to be only able to finish one character.
Haha, love the squid!
and as far as how much work you're doing vs. your classmates, keep up the pace! they'll grumble if it raises the teacher's expectations for the amount of work, but everyone will benefit from the extra hustle. keep it up and keep updating